1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a tool for use in the installation of fiberglass insulation or rock wool in residential and commercial buildings, and more specifically a tool designed to insert such insulation in the roof rafters of previously constructed homes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fiberglass insulation and rock wool are the two most common types of insulation used on previously constructed homes. When they are installed the workmen must be constantly cutting and sizing the sheets of insulation. The insulation is usually supplied in the form of rolls. The installer will usually cut with a knife manageable lengths of the material. As the material is installed in the rafters the installer will usual note a witness mark for the previously installed section. This is because the next sheet of insulation is pushed inward to a length less the predetermined amount the units of insulation have been cut. This is to accommodate the slope and therefore shorter sections are required. At present there is no tool available to provide the installer an easy yet effective means for judging this distance and having a tool that will of itself accommodate these differences.
The prior art does disclose some patents that have anticipated the problems of installing these types of insulation. One such patent was issued to Schultz on Apr. 12, 1994. This was U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,378 which taught of a tool for installing fiberglass insulation. Although quite different in construction from the present invention, it was the only patent that addressed the subject.
Other patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,010, issued to Stocker on Apr. 11, 2000, teach of tools for manipulation of material sections to overhead heights.
None of the above inventions and Patents, taken either singly or in combination, are given to describe the instant invention as claimed.
Accordingly, the above problems and difficulties are obviated by the present invention which provides for an installation tool designed to be adaptable for differences in rafter heights or lengths. The present invention is designed to insert sheets of insulation, in previously constructed homes and buildings, between the roof rafters of difficult to reach places such as dormers. The insulation is cut into manageable size sheets for insertion into the roof and eaves of the building. The present invention is opened by rotating a handle thereby operating a cam slotted flange. A sheet of insulation is placed between a pair of gripping plates and the handle is rotated in a counterclockwise direction to securely grasp the sheet. The user need only to reverse the handle direction to release the sheet. As the sheets of insulation are installed, beginning at the furthermost point, a witness mark is noted on the handle of the tool. By precutting the insulation sheets the installer can coordinate the distance the sheets must be pushed into position, noting with a witness mark this distance on the handle. The handle of the tool is adjustable lengthwise and as previously mentioned can be marked in increments corresponding to the precut installation sheets. To insure that there be no appreciable gaps, an adjustable rod (not part of inventive concept) is applied to the top surface of each bay as it is filled, thereby allowing for an air space for venting and prevention of moisture traps.
The present invention can be dismantled slightly so that the handle portion can be removed from the cam operated gripping plates. This feature is especially useful wherein a tamper add-on can be affixed to the distal end of the handle section to aid in aligning the insulation material as they are installed.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an installation tool that will grasp the insulation material that is to be pushed into position, while also allowing the installer to be able to know how far he must push by visually noting the witness marks on the handle.
It is another object of the invention to provide an installation tool that is very inexpensive since insulating one""s home would be done so rarely that the tool would almost have to be considered a one application tool, however it must be built rugged enough for use by the professional installer of insulation.
It is an object of the invention to provide a tool that not only would be used to install the insulation material but which is adjustable in length.
It is another object of the invention to provide a tampering tool that could also be used to xe2x80x9ctapxe2x80x9d the insulation sections into position.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.